Chris Garcia’s dad had one dying wish: That his family scatter his ashes off the coast of Cuba. Chris’s mom? She doesn’t give a crap about dying wishes. She’s vowed to never go back to Cuba again. As Chris tries to do right by his dad, he sets out to uncover the truth about a man he barely knew. Scattered is produced by WNYC Studios, home of other great podcasts including Radiolab, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and Nancy.
Chris Garcia’s dad had one dying wish: That his family scatter his ashes off the coast of Cuba -- the country he was born in, and the country that would break him. Chris’s mom? She doesn’t give a crap about dying wishes. She’s vowed to never go back to Cuba again.
So for now, the ashes are sitting on a shelf in a closet, between a Paul McCartney record and a Gizmo Halloween mask. As Chris tries to do right by hi...
Chris’s dad was a classy guy. Whenever he met one of his son’s girlfriends, he’d extend his hand, give her a firm handshake and say, “Soy Andrés, a tus pies.” Which means, “I’m Andres, I serve at your feet.”
Andres carried his wife’s purse when they went out, taught Chris to throw a knuckle ball by age eight, and loved a good joke at Fidel Castro’s expense. But behind it all was a dark past that Chris was too sc...
When Andres asked the Cuban government for permission to leave the country in 1969, he got a letter with a set of instructions.
Andres catches a break. Mr. Bible-Jesus is born. And an American dog drinks café con leche.
Chris confronts the box in his closet.
Follow @ScatteredPodcast for updates on the show, old photos of the fam back in Cuba, and more.
Our theme song is "Please Won't Please" from This is How You Smile by Helado Negro.
Ana puts on her hot pink visor, Chris gets heatstroke, and the Garcias say goodbye.
Follow @ScatteredPodcast for updates on the show, old photos of the fam back in Cuba, and more.
Our theme song is "Please Won't Please" from This is How You Smile by Helado Negro.
Additional song: "Cuando Salí de Cuba" performed by Celia Cruz. Courtesy of Craft Recordings, a division of Concord Music Group, Inc. Written by Luis Aguilé.
Special than...
Fellow comedian Karen Kilgariff (My Favorite Murder) and Chris Garcia are members of the same sad club: they both lost their parents to Alzheimer’s. Karen tells Chris about caring for her mom, her too-real stand-up set, and how Alzheimer's is like the movie Jaws.
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.